Hard work and dedication have paid off for Nontethelelo Mzizi, who obtained 20 distinctions and was awarded the dean’s merit award at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) last week.
The 25-year-old Mzizi, who is from Bulwer in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region, graduated cum laude with a diploma in public relations.
“This achievement means so much to me as I worked very hard and dedicated all my time to my studies. This is my second diploma after I a graduated cum laude in journalism and media studies in 2016.
"I have always wanted to be a journalist but during my studies I was able to determine that I was not keen on certain parts of it and that’s when I knew that public relations would be aligned with my goals. I still get to write but with less chaos and in a slower-paced environment,” she said.
Mzizi said it was her mother who inspired her and showed her the importance of education when she graduated with her first degree at 40.
“I was raised by my grandmother as my mom was mostly away in the city so she could provide for us. She worked very hard so that we did not go to bed on empty stomachs and we also had uniforms just like other kids.
"When I enrolled at DUT I wanted to make both my grandmother and mother proud of me. My focus was just on my books and I spent a lot of my time reading as I was struggling a bit with the English language.
"At the time I was self-funded, which was a financial distress, but luckily due to my excellent academic results my fees were reduced and I was extremely grateful to DUT for granting me the opportunity to continue my studies” she said.
Mzizi said it was important for students to surround themselves with the right people, explaining that university life can be very fast and consuming.
“It’s hard to make the right decisions when you are surrounded by the wrong people, hence the saying, ‘Show me your friends and I will show you your future’,” she said.
Mzizi said she was excited that she could be an inspiration to her siblings to also fight for their dreams and aspirations.
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